Leeds United, Bristol City and Blackburn should be applauded after recent revelation: View | OneFootball

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It has been an incredibly exciting start to the Championship season.

Leicester City, Ipswich Town, Leeds United and Southampton all look set to challenge for promotion in the year ahead, while it has been a season of struggle for Rotherham United, Queens Park Rangers and Sheffield Wednesday so far.

A number of exciting youngsters have thrived in the second tier, with the likes of Archie Gray, Kasey McAteer, Jobe Bellingham, Jack Clarke and Jonathan Rowe impressing in the early weeks of the campaign.

CIES Football Observatory ranked the clubs with the highest number of club-trained players, meaning those players who have spent at least three years between the ages of 15 and 21 at their current club, and Blackburn Rovers, Bristol City and Leeds are leading the way in the Championship.

Blackburn have fielded eight club-trained players so far this season, followed by Bristol City (7) and Leeds (6), and that is in contrast to Hull City and Watford, who have fielded just one, while Coventry City, Ipswich, Southampton, Sheffield Wednesday and Preston North End have all fielded two.

Blackburn Rovers, Bristol City and Leeds United deserve plenty of credit

It is an impressive statistic, and it highlights the excellent academies and youth systems in place at Blackburn, Bristol City and Leeds.

Blackburn have been forced to turn to academy products this season after their budget was cut this summer, limiting manager Jon Dahl Tomasson's ability to do business in the transfer window, but those who have been given a chance by the Dane have not looked out of place in the Championship.

Scott Wharton, Hayden Carter, Joe Rankin-Costello, Adam Wharton, Lewis Travis, Jake Garrett and Harry Leonard have all featured regularly for Rovers in recent years after coming through the academy at Ewood Park.

There are plenty more youngsters on the fringes of the first team, with Joe Hilton, Patrick Gamble, Jake Batty, Sam Barnes, Tom Atcheson, Zak Gilsenan, James Edmondson and Tom Bloxham featuring in the EFL Cup this season, and they will undoubtedly develop further under Tomasson's expert guidance.

Bristol City may have struggled to challenge for promotion during Nigel Pearson's two-and-a-half year reign, but he has left a legacy at the club after bringing through a host of young players.

Max O'Leary, Cameron Pring, Tommy Conway, Aymen Benarous, George Tanner and Sam Bell all established themselves as part of the senior squad under Pearson, and it is not just on the pitch that the Robins have benefitted, with Alex Scott joining Bournemouth this summer for a fee of £25 million.

With an exciting, up-and-coming coach in Liam Manning now at the helm following Pearson's departure, there are likely to be more talented youngsters progressing to the first team over the coming years.

While Leeds have a host of high-profile players in their team, a number of academy graduates have also starred for the Whites this season, most notably midfielder Gray.

The 17-year-old made his debut against Cardiff City on the opening day, and he has been a regular ever since, excelling both in midfield and at right-back.

Gray made his debut for England U19s in the recent international break, and former Leeds goalkeeper Paul Robinson believes there is an outside chance he could be included in the senior Three Lions squad for Euro 2024.

The likes of Charlie Cresswell, Jamie Shackleton and Mateo Joseph have been involved in the Whites' squad this season, and as he proved with Gray, manager Daniel Farke is not afraid to give young players an opportunity.

In what is an incredibly competitive Championship, it is encouraging to see Blackburn, Bristol City and Leeds putting faith in their academy products, and it is an example that more clubs in the division should follow.